Age-Related Macular Degeneration Diagnosis & Management in Airdrie

A good portion of the inside of your eyeball is covered with a system of tissues called the retina. The small middle area of the retina is called the macula. The ultra light-sensitive cells in the macula are responsible for your central vision and the details you see every day, like someone’s facial features.

AMD occurs when the macula sustains damage, causing dark spots or shadows in the central vision. There are two types or forms of AMD.

As you age, tiny fatty deposits called drusen can start to collect in your eye. If too many drusen collect around the macula, it can result in degeneration of macular tissue. Dry form AMD is much more common than its counterpart, but it is also far less severe.

Sometimes, the blood vessels in and around the retina can become damaged with age. The human body tries to fix this problem by growing new blood vessels. However, these new blood vessels are often irregular and weak, resulting in bleeding and scarring. This scarring can cause the macular tissue to become severely damaged. Wet form AMD is not common; however, it is very severe and requires treatment to prevent or delay further vision loss.